[Elecraft] SMT Work In The Ham Radio Shack WHAT TOOLS Are Required..?

[Brian Lloyd]

> I'm sure that everyone here would be VERY interested in folk's out  
> there
> "ideas" ..."know-how's"
> ...PICTURES (hint hint !) and website links for sure...
>
> Apologies if this has been discussed previously to this depth... Just
> thought it an interesting Thread for everyone involved "newbie's" And
> "Pro's" alike..

Well, we all have our own opinions. I have built several boards using  
a standard iron with a small tip and small diameter solder. I was not  
pleased the the result as I never quite got the parts to lie perfectly  
on their pads. A query on the SoftRock list brought several responses.  
As a result I got a $20 heat embossing gun and some solder paste.  
Total investment: $25. It works great but the embossing gun *can* get  
the board too hot if you are not careful.

Since I found myself working on multiple board and with the prospect  
for more in the future I ended up investing $80 in a temperature  
controlled hot-air rework gun with multiple tips to direct the hot air  
where I want it. I find it perfect for rework on SMT boards. I can  
easily remove a single component and then put it back in again. I find  
it even works well on through-hole boards for getting things like  
chips out.

So, for someone starting from scratch:

1. heat gun -- an embossing tool or, better still, a temperature- 
controlled hot-air rework tool;

2. a syringe of solder paste.

The solder paste has a shelf-life of 6+ months when kept in the  
refrigerator.

So you can approach this any way you want to. I personally find that  
an $80 temperature-controlled hot-air gun with solder paste works  
really well for me.

YMMV.

Brian Lloyd
Granite Bay Montessori School          9330 Sierra College Bl
brian AT gbmontessori DOT com          Roseville, CA 95661
+1.916.367.2131 (voice)                +1.791.912.8170 (fax)

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